Close Encounter with a Fox
It’s been noisy in the garden during the last few nights, the peace disturbed by the gruff bark of a dog fox and the...
The Deer Dilemma
Christmas is over for another year, and with it all signs of Dasher, Dancer and the rest of the team. There haven’t been any...
The Robin – our smallest bird of ‘pray’?
You might expect to hear sublime singing in a cathedral, but last Christmas I was surprised to hear the melodious notes of a robin...
The King of the River
I didn’t expect to see a kingfisher in the Abbey Gardens. But here it is, close to King Alfred’s statue in bustling Winchester. Admittedly,...
Nature – A Question of Perspective
If you look down on it you won’t have to worry about perspective, Helen, the art tutor, suggests.
I rearrange the single maple leaf on...
The Secret Life of Bees
Anyone It’s not every day that you get a chance to experience the private life of a honey bee, but I’m doing just that....
The Voracious Bank Vole
Anyone who thinks the countryside is quiet should spend a summer afternoon working in a Hampshire garden. Apart from the bleating of sheep in...
An Unexpected Encounter… With a Barn Owl
We’re having a heatwave. The doors of Bishops Sutton Village Hall are flung open to allow a welcome breeze to refresh a dozen women...
Disappearing Acts
My Charlie is missing. Not my home-loving American tabby, who moved back to the UK with us 12 years ago, but another animal not...
Berried Treasure
If you’re tempted by that stash of chocolate left over from Easter, you might want to consider an equally sweet, but far healthier treat....